


Thyme to Begin

by Darksister99



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, At least in the Stark family, Chef Jon, Emotional abuse/manipulation in a flashback, F/M, Falling In Love, Flashback!, Fluff, Nobody is Dead, Stark Sisters are BFFS
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-18
Updated: 2017-11-15
Packaged: 2019-01-18 23:58:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 18,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12398898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darksister99/pseuds/Darksister99
Summary: Chef Snow, the man who led the class, was a no-nonsense kind of man who was quick to point out his students’ mistakes but only ever in a constructive way.  He used a firm hand and his sharp eyes to make his students as good as they could possibly be. Sansa thought he was the best instructor she ever had. It also didn’t hurt that he was one of the handsomest men she had ever met.





	1. Chapter 1

Chef Snow, the man who led the class, was a no-nonsense kind of man who was quick to point out his students’ mistakes but only ever in a constructive way. He used a firm hand and his sharp eyes to make his students as good as they could possibly be. Sansa thought he was the best instructor she ever had. It also didn’t hurt that he was one of the handsomest men she had ever met.

The cooking class hadn’t been Sansa’s idea; it was one of the many activities her mother gently forced her into when she returned home to Winterfell after her college graduation instead of continuing on to graduate school. She enjoyed cooking for her family before she left for college, so she didn’t put up a fight when her mother signed her up for cooking classes. Catelyn also signed up her other daughter for the class, hoping it would cut down on the number of fires Arya managed to set in the kitchen. Sansa had been unsure about having her sister in the class, before she left for college they were always at each others’ throats, but it turned out having Arya around made the first few classes less awkward for the both of them. Her sister hadn’t managed to learn anything, but the laughter shared between the two as Arya made her jokes was even better. It didn’t take long for the two to be inseparable both in class and at home.

“Okay class, we’ve touched on the idea of this briefly but I think we’re all finally ready,” Chef Snow velvet-smooth voice was slightly muffled as he was pulling something out of a cabinet. He set a bottle of alcohol on the counter with a triumphant smile. “Let’s flambé.”

Sansa was as excited to learn the new technique as she was disappointed that Arya was missing it. Though it was probably for the best; Arya’s penchant for setting kitchens ablaze combined with actively attempting to set things on fire would have probably just ended in a tragedy Sansa’s hair wanted to avoid. She was in the zone getting her prep work done when her workstation partner Joffrey, the ass who tried to teach Sansa over Chef Snow about proper knife cuts in the first fifteen minutes of the first class, started boasting about how he’d been doing this forever. Sansa had been competing with him in her head since that first day, hoping that she would be able to take him down a peg or two. He was a genuine nightmare. Sansa was so engrossed with beating Joffrey that she didn’t notice slicing her finger open until there was blood all over her cutting board.

“Seven hells.” The dish was ruined, of course, but that seemed like the worst of her problems as blood seeped between the cracks of her fingers on her way to the sink. She felt herself getting woozy as she tried to force herself not to stare at the blood.

“Sansa.” Somehow Chef Snow had already seen her accident and was waiting for her by the sink. “Here, let me see.” She reached her hand out and he examined the cut, frowning. “What happened?”

“I was being stupid. I wasn’t paying attention and I was rushing and…” She trailed off while he turned the water on.

“That’s not stupid, Sansa. It’s happened to us all at one time or another.” He waggled a bandaged finger in her face, “It happened to me just the other day.” Sansa winced when he ran her hand under the water but his reassurances did abate some of her embarrassment. “It just means your knife is plenty sharp.” She laughed and before she knew it he had bandaged her finger up. “You’re all set, Sansa.”

“I got blood in my dish.”

“You can come up front with me and I can walk you through the rest of the steps.” They cooked in silence; he occasionally spoke out to the class or murmured an instruction to Sansa. He cooked deftly and Sansa found herself learning just by watching him work up close. She packed up slowly when the class was over, hoping to talk to him a little more.

“Thank you again, Chef Snow.”

“Jon,” he looked up at her from the front of the room, “Class is over. Please call me Jon.” Sansa smiled and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

“Thank you, Jon.”

“Can I walk you to your car?” He hoisted his bag onto his shoulder and looked to the door.

“Oh, I appreciate it but I don’t drive. Normally my sister drives us but I’ll just catch an Uber.“

“It’s gotta take ages to get an Uber out here,” Jon held the door open for her as they walked into the brisk night. “And the idea of you waiting out here by yourself isn’t a very pleasant one. Let me wait with you.”

“Um, Jon, I-“ 

“No, it’s fine. I get it. I’m just as much of a stranger as an Uber driver.”

“Che-Jon, I was going to say yes. Please. Thank you. I hate waiting alone.” Sansa wrapped her cardigan more tightly around herself and leaned against the brick wall.

Her first Uber driver cancelled on her after ten minutes and her app kept searching and searching to find a second driver until eventually Sansa was notified there were no other drivers in her area. Sansa groaned and slid down the wall until she was sitting on the cold, hard ground.

“You don’t need to wait with me. My sister’s meet ends in like half an hour. I can just text her. Her school isn’t that far away. I’ll be fine.”

“Sansa that’s crazy. It’s freezing out here. Let me drive you home.” He leaned down and reached his hand out to her and she gratefully took it.

“Thanks, Jon. Waiting out here for another hour would have sucked.”

The car ride home wasn’t awful by any means, but Jon fiddled with the radio and drummed his fingers against the steering wheel enough to make it a little awkward. He finally settled on a station a started humming to a song she was sure she’d heard before but couldn’t place.

“So, how did you come about teaching cooking classes?” Sansa didn’t want the next fifteen minutes to go by like the first five had.

“Oh, I cooked a lot when I was younger, I guess. My mother worked a lot and when she came home she loved having a home cooked meal.”

“That’s so sweet of you,” she interjected, turning so she could face him better.

“Thanks, yeah... uh, I cooked in restaurants for a while after culinary school but I worked under this real prick who ruined the business for me. Still loved cooking though and the idea of teaching people myself, so I could pick and choose what to teach, was more appealing than working for an actual culinary school. So here I am. What brought you to me? Or rather, the classes.”

“A boring story really. I got a degree that I decided I hated after graduation and I moved home, lost and directionless. My mother is the greatest but she also loves being involved so she signed me up for so many different classes and meet ups so I could discover my passion.” She left out a few key details, but it was more or less the truth. “You’re a good teacher.”

“Good students make it easy.” He flashed her one of his rare smiles. “Usually the fire day is the big test and everyone left unburnt, so I’m calling it a win.”

“Thank the Gods Arya wasn’t there. I love that girl but do not trust her to set anything on fire.” Jon’s laugh was deep and hearty and it made Sansa’s fingers tingle.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” All too quickly Jon pulled into the driveway of the Stark family home and Sansa’s heart dropped just a little. She almost suggested he pull out of the driveway and they get a drink somewhere but it was too late. Rickon saw her from the front window and waved furiously. Sansa gave a small wave back.

“My little brother,” she explained. “I should probably…”

“I’m glad you let me take you home, Sansa.” They spoke at the same time and Jon gave a soft chuckle. It was music to her ears. “If Arya ever can’t come to another class, I’m always happy to give you a lift.” Sansa beamed.

“You’re a good man, Jon Snow.” Sansa leaned in and let her lips just barely brush against his cheek. “I’ll see you in class next week.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty much nothing happens in this story and for that I apologize. I've been out of the writing game a while and just wanted to write something short and sweet. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Jon’s beat up truck still sat in the driveway up until Sansa put her key in the lock and stepped through the front door. It was sweet, him staying to make sure she got in the house, and it only made the butterflies in her stomach flap harder. She turned and gave him a small wave as he drove off, smiles on both of their faces.

“Sansa! How was your class?” Her mother’s voice rang out from the living room as Sansa bolted the door. She contemplated just rushing up the stairs to her room and pretending she didn’t hear but it wouldn’t matter. There was no way Rickon hadn’t told Catelyn what he had seen when she was in Jon’s car in the driveway. It had just been a kiss on the cheek, but the Stark family was famous for blowing things out of proportion. She pulled her boots off and headed to the living room to face the well-intentioned interrogation.

“Good! We learned how to flambé which was neat, but I cut my finger which totally hurt and there was a lot of blood but Jon bandaged me up.”

“Jon?”  Catelyn didn’t even look up from her book but she was absorbing it all, multitasking the way only a mother of five could.

“Oh, um, Chef Snow. He’s the instructor.” Sansa curled up in her favorite chair, facing her mother. “He helped me clean the cut out and fixed me up, but I got some blood in my dish so I had to trash it but Chef let me cook up front with him. It was fun. I learned a lot.”

“Mhmm,” Catelyn stuck a bookmark in her book and finally looked up at her daughter. “And was he the gentleman who gave you a ride home?”

“Yeah, my Uber cancelled on me and there was no one else around. I told him I’d just wait for Arya but he offered to drive me and so…” Sansa trailed off with a shrug. Catelyn just smiled warmly.

“That’s good Sansa. It’s about time you started making some friends around here again. I worry about you spending all your time in the house alone, you know.”

“I’m not alone, Mom. I spend time with you and Arya and-“

“It’s not the same, Sansa,” Catelyn’s voice was as soft as the hand she brought to Sansa’s face.  “You should be happy, my beautiful girl.” Sansa just smiled. It was how most of their conversations had gone since she came home to Winterfell, at least when the mother and daughter were alone. Sansa hadn’t really gone into detail about why she turned down the prestigious graduate school acceptance and returned home without any notice. Catelyn had tried her best to get Sansa to share, but she wasn’t willing to prod. She was certain Sansa would come to her when she was ready.

“Thanks, mom. The cooking classes have been great, so thank you for that too.” Catelyn stood, snapping them out of the somber moment.

“I sent your brothers to bed, so if you see Rickon down here make sure he gets his little butt back upstairs.” There was a giggle from the stairs and the sound of pounding feet as the youngest Stark ran back to his room. “Robb took Arya to her meet today, I’m sure they’ll be back soon.”

“And dad?”

“His flight was delayed. A little snow on the tarmac apparently sends the entirety of Portland into a tizzy. He should be home tomorrow, with any luck. I’m exhausted though, sweetheart, so I’ll see you in the morning.”

“Night mom.” She grabbed the remote from the coffee table and put on a movie while she waited for her siblings to return home.

“God, you’re watching _Atonement_ again?” Robb’s voice woke Sansa with a start.

“Shut up, Robb. It’s a good movie,” Arya wasn’t far behind him, tossing her duffel bag by the stairs.

“I forgot she poisoned your mind too.”

“Whatever,” Sansa stretched her arms out and paused the movie, “You guys are home late.” Arya flopped down on the couch.

“Robb took me out for burgers.”

“Victory burgers or consolation burgers?”

“We were slaughtered,” Arya groaned. “If they were using rapiers instead of foils they would have actually killed us.”

“Arya’s leaving out the part where she won her match.” Robb leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms as he spoke, a classic Robb pose.

“Yeah, but we’re a team. If they lose, so do I.” Arya pushed herself up into a sitting position but her shoulders were still slumped with defeat. To Robb’s protest, Sansa resumed the movie but he only suffered so long as Sansa started snoozing in her chair again. “Sansa,” Arya shook her sister’s shoulder, waking her up. “Just go to bed. I’d rather not watch the movie than have to listen to you snore the whole time. And you’ve got a little drool on your chin.”

 

* * *

 

Sansa found the week went by achingly slow, especially now that she was looking forward to class more than she ever had. Finally, Thursday evening rolled around and she was practically vibrating with excitement. She put more care into her appearance than usual for class, nothing that would raise Arya’s suspicions but definitely nicer than normal.

“Ready to go?” Sansa leaned in her sister’s doorway, impatiently adjusting her soft, charcoal sweater.

“Gods, Sansa, will you calm down? I’ll be ready in five minutes.”

“Arya, you’re just lying on your bed. I’d hardly call that getting ready.”

“Whatever.”

“Come on, we’re gonna be late,” Sansa strode into Arya’s room and grabbed her arms, trying to pull her from the bed.

“I’ll go limp, Sansa. You’ll never get me out of this bed.” Sansa pulled and pulled, getting nowhere, until Arya finally took pity on her sister and got out of her bed. “I don’t know what you’re so excited for, it’s just cooking class.”

They made it right on time; Sansa was hoping to be early so she’d have a chance to speak with Jon before class, but at least they weren’t late.

“You all did so well last week,” Jon began as he tied his hair back, “So I thought I’d reward you all. Today we’re going to play a game. You’ll split up into three groups of three and compete against each other for a very special prize. There’ll be three rounds, a first, second, and third place for each round and points assigned based on placement. The team with the most points at the end wins!”

“There’re ten of us,” someone snickered from the back, most likely Joffrey. Sansa was about to turn around with a sharp comment when Jon spoke up again.

“Yes, Mr. Baratheon, thank you for your astute observation. That is why I put all your names in this jar,” Jon shook the jar with ten scraps of paper in it, “And I’ll be drawing one name. Whoever I pick will sit in judgment with me.” He dug around in the jar and pulled a scrap of paper out. “Sansa, will you be my guest judge?” He showed the piece of paper to the class. She was deeply pleased, of course, while she wouldn’t be able to show off her skills they would at least be able to spend that time together.

“It’d be my honor, Chef Snow,” Sansa grabbed her bag and moved to the front of the classroom while the other students were getting into groups and Jon was describing their first task.

“The first round will be all about knife skills. We’ve got onions, potatoes, and carrots. We will be taking both speed and accuracy into account. You have five minutes.” Jon started the kitchen timer.

“Good luck brought me to you,” Sansa murmured as the teams began their challenge. Jon laughed.

“It wasn’t exactly luck,” he admitted, “Every piece of paper had your name on it.” Sansa blushed nearly as red as her hair. “I couldn’t exactly stand up here and say that I wanted you to judge everyone with me because you’re the best in the class. It’s true, but I don’t want anyone else think I’m playing favorites and it would hardly be fair to pit you against them, you’d destroy them.”

“Well, I’m happy to be up here with you. And your secret is safe with me,” Sansa held her pinky out to him.

“We’re pinky swearing on this?”

“I’m serious,” Sansa said, despite her laughter, “It’s a sacred bond.” Jon took her pinky in his. Neither of them realized their pinkies were still intertwined when the buzzer rang. The alarm snapped them out of their reverie. They judged the knife work and assigned the points. The next task went by with barely any interaction between the two, both dwelling on their lingering touch. By the third task Sansa was dying to break the awkwardness between them. “So what’s the prize?” She finally asked.

“A chef’s knife for each of them, so they can start their own set.”

“That’s a good prize, Jon. Really thoughtful of you,” she flashed him a bright smile and a brief touch on the hand. “They’re going to love it.” Sansa was disappointed Arya wasn’t on the winning team but she was satisfied because Joffrey’s team wasn’t the winning team either. All too soon, it seemed, the class was drawing to an end and everyone was packing up. Arya hovered around the front of the room, waiting for Sansa who was moving much slower than usual. Sansa and Jon ended up walking out together and either by fate or design their hands kept bumping into each other and once or twice Sansa swore their fingers almost intertwined.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, here I am after saying it was going to be a one shot. Sorry for being a liar, but I hope the fact that I'm writing more of this story will make up for my deep character flaws. Thank you for all the wonderfully positive response to the first chapter, you guys are great. The Stark sisters being best friends is my one true joy in life so there's going to be a lot of that. Lastly, I'm having fun here so if anything like isn't good I apologize, I'm just here for a good time. :D Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

“Okay, so what the hell?” Sansa had been sitting in the passenger seat in silence, toying with the hem of her sweater. She looked up when Arya spoke, pulled from her daydreams.

“What do you mean?”

“You! You’re acting like a weirdo and I saw you making googly at Chef Snow when you were standing up there next to him. I know you, Sans. You’re like the least sneaky person on the planet.  So what gives?” 

“Jon is sweet. He gave me a ride home the other night. He told me I had talent in the kitchen.”

“You like him!”                     

“What? Shut up. That would be stupid. He’s got a stupid name and a stupid beard and his face is just…awful.” Arya couldn’t contain her laughter and soon Sansa was joining her, the pair breathless with laughter. “Okay, okay!  I like him.”

“I knew it! If you ever become a criminal, you are so going to get caught.” Arya was laughing again. “So what are you going to do about it?”

“What do you mean ‘what am I going to do about it?’”

“Well do you plan on just gazing at him longingly for the next few classes or are you going to go for it?”

“He teaches us, Arya. I can’t just stroll up to him and say… well I don’t know what I would say but I can’t say it. It would be so awkward.”

“We’ve only got two classes left; it wouldn’t be awkward for that long.” Arya pulled the car into the driveway and put it in park before turning to face her sister. “For what it’s worth, I think it’s a good idea. I think he’d make you happy. And I think he wants to make you happy.” Arya wiggled her brows eliciting more laughter from her sister.

“Okay, weirdo.”

 

* * *

 

“We should do something for mom’s birthday,” Sansa suggested while finishing making breakfast the next morning. Ned had gone to work and Catelyn was taking the two youngest Starks to school. “I haven’t been home for her birthday in years. It needs to be special.” She set down plates in front of her siblings and took one for herself.

“I dunno, we can do one of those dumb family photos she’s always asking for,” Arya suggested between big bites of pancakes.

“She’d love that,” Robb agreed, “Now that we’re all actually here.”

“Yes, that’d be great but it’s not special. I was thinking we could throw her a surprise party.”

“Did that last year,” Robb shrugged and cut into his sausage, “Plus her birthday is tomorrow, a little late to throw a party now.” Sansa groaned and buried her head in her hands.

“I’m the worst daughter ever,” her voice was muffled as she spoke through her fingers. “I thought it was next week. There’s no time to plan anything.”

“I think Rickon made her something, you could always just tack your name on and say it was from the both of you.”

“Thank you for the brilliant suggestion, Arya. Robb, d’you think you could take me into town? I can wander through some shops and see if anything catches my eye.”

“Sorry, sis, I’ve got some sketches that need to be dropped off. Time sensitive,” Robb got up as he spoke and walked his plate to the sink.

“I’ve got class today but if you don’t mind Ubering back home, I can drop you off,” Arya offered, polishing off what remained on her plate.

“Thanks. I’ll get her a nice scarf or something, I guess.”

Late November brought a kind of chill in the air that signified colder weather was on its way. The last few leaves still clung to the trees, as if they could remain until the winter had passed. The early afternoon sun helped to warm the day so Sansa felt perfectly comfortable in her tights and dress with just a scarf for warmth. She wandered through the shops in town, not finding any inspiration for a suitable gift for her mother but getting little things for every other member of her family and herself. Sansa was just about to give up when she spotted a familiar figure in front of her. In a moment of uncharacteristic boldness she rushed to catch up with him.

“Jon.” He looked different out of his chef whites, in a dark grey t-shirt and green jacket. His dark curls weren’t tied up like they normally were in the kitchen and they framed his face perfectly. Somehow Sansa thought him even more stunning than she had before.

“Sansa,” he gave her a half-hug that was only a little awkward. “What brings you out today?”

“Oh just doing some shopping. Um, last minute birthday shopping actually. My mom’s birthday is tomorrow and I, uh, forgot about it.” Sansa laughed at herself and he joined it, the rich timbre of his laugh combining with hers in a beautiful harmony.

“I’ve definitely been there, but I’ve found some fresh cut flowers, a bottle of wine, and a home cooked meal usually gets you out of that jam.”

“That’s actually not a bad idea. I was thinking I would have to end up giving her a pair of socks and an apology.”

“I was on my way to the market at the corner. You can join me and see if inspiration strikes, if you’d like to of course. No pressure.”

“That sounds lovely, thank you.” The trip around the market was a quick one, Sansa decided to recreate a dish her mother used to make when she was younger and Jon only needed to pick up a few items, but by the time they made it outside the sun had disappeared.

“Looks like a storm’s coming,” Jon spoke softly, looking at the dark grey sky, “Probably snow headed our way. How are you planning on getting home?”

“An Uber.”

“I have snow tires. Some Uber’s may have snow tires, but I definitely do. Let me give you a ride.”

“Jon, it’s an imposition. You know I live in the middle of nowhere. I don’t want you to have to go out of your way for me. I’ll be fine.”

“I live farther north than you do, Sansa,” he laughed. “I practically drive by your house every day on my way home. It’s not an imposition.” Without more than a little additional protestation, Sansa loaded her canvas bags into his truck. This car ride was less awkward than the first, Sansa sung along with the jazz music pouring through the speakers and if she had been paying more attention she may have noticed the smile on Jon’s face every time he turned to look at her. They pulled into the empty driveway, Catelyn must have stopped somewhere before heading home.

“Thank you again,” Sansa started gathering her bags but paused with another wave of courage, “Would you like to come inside Jon? I know my culinary skills are no match with yours but I’d love to make you lunch. A thank you for driving me home.”

“Lunch sounds great, actually.” Sansa led him through the front door and into the kitchen.

“Make yourself at home, Jon. I’ll start lunch.” Jon wandered through the living room while Sansa busied herself in the kitchen. He spent some time wandering around the living room before coming to join her in the kitchen.

“Let me be your sous-chef,” he had removed his jacket and was washing his hands in the kitchen sink.

“Sorry to disappoint, but it’s not exactly complicated enough for two people. I’m just reheating the tomato soup I made the other night and I was going to make us grilled cheese. It’s not special and very, very simple.”

“Sansa, it sounds delicious.” Jon took over watching the soup while Sansa focused on the sandwiches. They had just sat down to lunch when the front door opened.

“Sansa, are you home? There’s a strange truck in the driveway,” Catelyn called out as she entered the house.

“Yeah, in the kitchen,” Sansa called back, an apologetic smile thrown in Jon’s direction. “Mom, this is Jon. He teaches my cooking class, we ran into each other in town and he gave me a ride home.” She stood to give her mother a quick hug.

“He’s cute,” Catelyn whispered in her daughter’s ear with a little smile.

“I’m Jon,” he stood and stuck his hand out to shake hers, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Stark.” Catelyn took his hand warmly.

“Please, call me Cat.”

“You raised a couple of lovely girls, Cat. Arya is funny and spirited and Sansa has incredible raw talent in the kitchen.” Sansa couldn’t help the blush rise on her cheeks.

“They are good girls. I will let you two get back to your lunch and thank you, Jon, for bringing Sansa home.” She left the kitchen without another word and let the pair return to their lunch. All too soon it was over and Sansa found herself wishing she had made something that took longer to eat.

“Let me walk you to your car,” Sansa offered. It was colder out now than when they had gone inside and it had her wishing she had grabbed a coat.

“Lunch was delicious, thank you, and your mother is very kind. She’ll love her birthday meal.”

“Well, thank you for the inspiration. I’ll be sure to let her know it was your idea.” They stood silently facing each other for a spell, the cold winds blowing around them.

“Well… I should probably get going,” Jon said softly, breaking their silence. Looking back, Sansa couldn’t tell who instigated it but all at once their lips were pressed together and her hands were twisted in his dark curls. Snow flurried around them while they were locked in their embrace and neither one of them seemed to notice.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will Sansa ever get to Uber? I was off work today so I decided to write another chapter, I just can't get enough of it. Also it's dumb and cheesy but I got really into the idea of their first kiss being in the snow. Thank you so much for all of your wonderful reactions to my work, you are all wonderful people and the reason why I decided to dedicate so much time to their story. (Also I literally just realized that Ned and Bran haven't appeared...like at all. So that'll probably be coming up soon)


	4. Chapter 4

The kiss continued to linger on Sansa’s lips after Jon got in his truck and drove away. He had given her a sweet, soft kiss on her forehead before he left her. Snow was still falling softly around her as she stood in the driveway, fingers pressed to her mouth, the ghost of her last kiss, before the one with Jon, lingering in her mind.

* * *

 

_Petyr Baelish utterly entranced Sansa from the moment he walked into her international business class. He seemed smooth and sophisticated, the kind of man she always wanted to be with. She was rapt with attention while he spoke, occasionally jotting down a note but mostly just absorbing what he had to say. Later her roommate, who also sat next to her in the class, joked that Professor Baelish had maintained eye contact with Sansa almost the entire lecture. She didn’t mention the thought aloud, but the idea of him paying such close attention to her made her heart skip._

_The next time they encountered each other was in the campus coffee shop, several weeks after he had spoken in her class. Sansa was thinking about the homework for her accounting class and collided into him. She dropped her books and his coffee got all over her and the books._

_“Oh my god, I’m so sorry.”_

_“It’s quite alright. I seem to have escaped unscathed,” his smile was crooked as he gave her a once over. “The same cannot be said about your books, or your poor blouse.” Sansa looked down and groaned. It was a cream shirt and his coffee must have been black, it was never going to come out. “You’re in the international business program, right?” Sansa nodded._

_“Yes. I’m just starting my third year. My name’s Sansa Stark,” she bent down to retrieve her books. They were worse for wear, but the coffee would dry and they would be a little hard to read but not unusable._

_“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Stark.” He handed her some napkins from the counter behind him. “Even in these strange circumstances.” Professor Baelish had left not long after and Sansa was mortified about the encounter. It was late when she went back to her dorm, ready to change out of her coffee soaked blouse and take a long bath. When she walked into her room there was a bag on her desk._

_“Marg, keep your stuff off my desk,” Sansa called to the bathroom while she kicked her shoes off by the foot of her bed._

_“It’s for you,” she shouted back over the sound of the shower. There was an envelope with her name written in fancy script that she set aside, choosing to tear through the tissue paper instead. The bag contained the books that had been damaged and the blouse that was stained. She reached for the card with trembling fingers. ‘Sansa, my deepest apologies that I couldn’t stay and help you clean up. I hope this makes up for my rudeness. I’d like to get together with you and discuss your future here. Come by my office Friday at five. Petyr’ Margaery came out of the bathroom in a robe with a t-shirt wrapped around her hair._

_“What is it? I’ve been dying to know,” she asked, grabbing her lotion. Sansa wordlessly handed Margaery the letter. “Holy shit. That’s-“_

_“So thoughtful,” Sansa cut her off, sinking down into her desk chair. “My books weren’t even ruined and he still replaced them. And he didn't even know this is my favorite shirt. It’s even a little romantic.”_

_“I was going to say that it’s a little weird. Like, how did he find out where you live?”_

_“He’s a professor. We live in student housing and he knows my name and major. Probably just took a couple phone calls.”_

_“Okay but like, how did he know exactly what shirt you were wearing?”_

_“He’s observant.”_

_“Okay but-“_

_“Marg, stop. Someone did something nice for me, get over it,” Sansa cut her off again, this time she snapped._

_“Fine,” she put her hands up defensively, “It was a nice gesture. He’s a direct guy.”_

_Their affair began slowly. She would come to his office and get his advice, or help with her homework, or proofreading papers. His criticisms were sharp, biting almost, but he always followed them with smiles or pats on the hand that made Sansa feel like he was really helping her. One day, after verbally tearing apart a paper she wrote, he tucked a piece of hair behind her ear and called her beautiful. The next time she came to his office he was pressing kisses on her lips. He made her feel special._

_They remained together the rest of her junior year before he told her she should move out of the dorms. She suggested moving in with him and he called her a stupid girl and reminded her that no one could know about their relationship and if she lived with him someone would surely find out. Instead he moved her into an apartment that he chose, decorated, and was paying for. Sansa knew he did it out of love, even if he didn’t say so. Halfway through her senior year, Petyr applied for her to the school’s graduate program. When she got her acceptance, Sansa was both confused and pleased but the latter emotion outweighed the former. Petyr gave her permission to go out and celebrate with Margaery, whom she’d barely seen all year, and they went for drinks at a dive bar they used to frequent._

_“So are you still with him?” Margaery finally asked, once they left the bar._

_“Yeah, Marg,” Sansa beamed, smoothing down her silk top. “I love him. And he loves me.”_

_“Sansa, he loves the you he created. You’re a totally different person.”_

_“I’ll forgive because you’re drunk because you have no idea what you’re talking about.”_

_“When was the last time you did something he didn’t okay?”_

_“Margaery, I don’t want to talk about this.” They walked in silence, the setting sun casting long shadows across the road._

_“Do you remember when we decided to get matching tattoos?” Margaery asked, finally breaking the silence. Sansa smiled._

_“I do. Why didn’t we ever get them?”_

_“I think we got too busy. But we should do it. We’re graduating! We should celebrate.”_

_“I don’t know,” Sansa suddenly sounded unsure. “I don’t think-“_

_“If you say ‘I don’t think Petyr will like it’ I will lose my mind. Screw him! It’s your body, it’s your life. Do you want one?” Sansa remained silent for a few beats._

_“Yes. I think I do,” she laughed. Margaery clapped her hands and found a shop nearby that took walk-ins. Sansa ended up with a delicate, but lifelike, bird on her forearm, Margaery with a bold moon on her bicep. They giggled all the way home, giddy with their boldness._

_“What did you do?” Petyr spoke between clenched teeth when he saw it. She was naked from her shower and he was watching her apply lotion and braid her hair, like he always did. It took her a moment to realize what he was talking about._

_“Oh, Margaery and I got them to celebrate graduating,” she shrugged, turning back to her vanity mirror. Sansa was looking down and didn’t notice Petyr until his hands were on her shoulders, turning her around._

_“You defiled yourself,” he growled, yanking her arm up into his line of sight._

_“Ow,” she tried to pull her arm from his grasp but was unsuccessful. “I’m sorry. I thought it was pretty. I didn’t realize-“_

_“How many times do we need to have this conversation? You’re too stupid to make decisions on your own; it’s why you need my help.”_

_“You’re right, I’m sorry,” Sansa felt defeated tears well up in her eyes._

_“You’re lucky I’m in such a good mood,” he dropped her arm. “Tomorrow morning you’ll have an appointment to get that removed.”_

_“But-“_

_“Don’t make me lose my generosity, Sansa. You should be thanking me for guiding you, I could be much meaner.”_

_“You’re right, thank you,” her voice was soft and she returned to her evening routine without another word. It took several appointments to completely remove the bird from her arm but eventually she was pure again in Petyr’s eyes. It was probably for the best anyway, she was sure to regret the decision in a few years anyway. He had just saved her the trouble from doing this several years down the road._

_It was Petyr’s decision for Sansa not to walk at graduation. Her parents were disappointed, of course, but recognized it was Sansa’s choice and respected it as such. Instead he took her out for a nice dinner, two towns over so no one would recognize them. She wore her hair down, the way he liked, and it was a bold contrast to her cream dress. The host kept referring to her as ‘Mrs. Baelish’ and each time Petyr just smiled a slick smile. The idea made her palms sweat and Sansa wanted to believe it was a happy anticipation instead of a general unease. They had finished a bottle of wine and were halfway through dinner when her unasked question was finally answered._

_“I’ve accepted a job.”_

_“Congratulations, Petyr.”_

_“We’ll be leaving next Thursday.” Sansa swallowed a large gulp of her wine._

_“Where are we going?”_

_“Florence, for now, we’ll see where it takes us from there. And there’s something else,” Sansa knew what was coming, even before he pulled the velvet box from his suit jacket pocket. She put the ring on herself, it was simple but beautiful, but her hand felt ten pounds heavier._

_“What about graduate school?” She asked softly, eyes cast down._

_“You’ll be my wife, you don’t need it. People are finally starting to realize what an important man I am, Sansa, and it’s awfully selfish of you to be thinking of graduate school. You’ll have other things to take care of.”_

_“You’re right, I’m sorry that was selfish of me. I’m so happy for you Petyr.”_

_“For us,” he corrected, raising his wine glass._

_“For us.”_

_Sansa laid awake next to her fiancé’s sleeping frame, unable to keep herself from picturing her life as Mrs. Baelish. He had taken care of her, she was certain of it, but right now she just felt empty. She rolled out of the bed softly and paced, almost paralyzed with fear. If she stayed with Petyr he would take care of her, keep her comfortable, but she would just be his wife. Forever. There was only one person Sansa wanted to talk to, but it was far too late to call her mother. But surely Sansa could go and see her mother, especially if she planned on moving to another country. Before she was really processing what she was doing, Sansa was packing a small bag. It would just be for a day or two, being able to say goodbye to her mother would be all that she needed to commit to this life. She was in her closet looking for warm clothes when the realization struck her; nothing in the closet wasn’t purchased, or at least picked out, by Petyr and everything else had gone. The same could be said about all her underwear, makeup, and shoes. It had been going on since before she even moved into the apartment, but it was the first time she really noticed. Her entire body felt numb and she sat on the floor, trying to control her breathing. How could she have never noticed?_

_A few minutes passed before she was able to calm down enough to go back to bed, bag unpacked. Sansa still couldn’t sleep but she at least pretended until a suitable time. Before Petyr left for work he pulled her into a deep kiss like he always did when he stayed over but for the first time, Sansa felt bile rising in the back of her throat. His kiss burned her lips long after he was gone, long after she had shoved some clothes in a suitcase, long after she boarded the plane home, long after she showed up on the doorstep of her childhood home in the middle of the night without a single word._

* * *

 

Sansa was still standing in the snow, trying to will away her memories, when she felt soft hands on her shoulders. Catelyn had come up behind Sansa silently and wrapped a blanket around her eldest daughter’s shoulders.

“You looked cold.”

“Thanks, mom, I was.” Sansa’s voice was soft and distant and her glassy eyes remained fixed on the tree line.

“Sansa,” Catelyn began but was unsure where to go from there. She didn’t want to prod her daughter but it broke her heart to see her daughter like this. All she wanted to do was take on her daughter’s burden and ease her pain, but she didn’t want to force Sansa to open up. “Jon seemed very nice.” Sansa turned with a little smile.

“He is,” Sansa agreed, pulling herself out of her reverie. “He’s a good man. I… uh, I hope it’s going to go somewhere, honestly.”

“As long as you’re happy,” Catelyn pressed a kiss to her daughter’s temple before going back inside. Sansa remained outside for a while longer, trying to push all thoughts of Petyr out of her mind. He couldn’t reach her here.

* * *

 

Sansa was in the kitchen the next evening, cutting beef into cubes.  Arya had come into the kitchen with the intention of helping, but instead was just sitting on the counter drinking wine.

“Arya, I need that wine for cooking,” Sansa grumbled, putting the beef in a pan to sear. Arya shrugged.

“Whatever, it’s not like we don’t have enough.” She took a big sip and smacked her lips together. “When do you think they’re going to be back from the museum?” Bran had teamed up with Robb to take their mother to see an exhibit of the Sistine chapel up close that was touring the country. It was a precursor to Ned’s gift of an Italian vacation. Getting them all out of the house was Sansa’s window to make beef bourguignon, a dish that Catelyn used to make for them all the time when they were younger.

“I don’t know, but Robb said he was going to text me while they were on the way back so we can get the table set.” Sansa took Arya’s wineglass and had a small sip.

“How’d you come up with this idea anyways?”

“A friend.” Arya snorted.

“You don’t have any friends.”

“Yes I do! I ran into Jon after you dropped me off the other day. He gave me the idea of making her a homemade meal. I decided to make something mom always made for us and he gave me the recipe and a general kind of walkthrough of the dish. It was sweet of him.”

“Did he give you a ride home?” Arya didn’t bother to hide the double entendre in her words.

“Don’t be gross. But yes, he did give me a ride home. And I made him lunch.”

“Mhmm,” Arya took her wine back and had another sip. “And?”

“And nothing!” But the blush that rose to her cheeks told Arya another story.

“Sans, what happened?”

“We kissed,” she finally admitted, her face breaking into a big smile. “I kissed him or he kissed me. I’m not really so sure. But I like him. And it was a good kiss.”

“And you’re like…doing okay?” It was obvious what Arya was getting at, she was the only one Sansa had confessed to.

“Yeah, I think so. It was a little weird, but I think that was just because it’s been a while? Jon’s a better man than Petyr.”

“Yeah, well, you thought Petyr was a good guy at first too.”

“Are you really comparing them?”

“No, I just… I don’t think Jon is a bad guy, I just think you should be careful. I love you, Sans, and I’m never going to let anything bad happen to you again. I swear.”

“Arya, you’ve had too much wine,” Sansa laughed, but still wiped a few tears from her face. “I love you too.” She focused back on the cooking, trying not to let Arya’s words sink into her mind. Jon wasn’t Petyr. The timing was perfect, as Sansa was putting the finishing touches on the stew when the front door opened. Dinner was a hit once Catelyn stopped crying over how thoughtful and loving all her children and husband were. That night, after dishes were cleaned and lunches were packed for work and school the next day, Sansa slept fitfully. Her usual nightmares of Petyr were more intense than normal and this time he was wearing Jon’s face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so first of all, whoops that the flashback went on for so long. I got in the middle of writing it and kind of forgot about the story I was actually writing? So, my bad. This chapter in general kind of goes on forever but I wasn't really sure of the best place to break it off. Secondly, Petyr is in Sansa's past he's not going to show up in this story beyond that context. Thirdly, Arya isn't intentionally giving Sansa doubts. She just loves her sister and wants to see her safe and protected. Lastly, I am trying to do this story justice so thank you all for your wonderful feedback and comments you're all great and this story wouldn't be here without you. (P.S. Sansa's doubts won't linger. Don't worry. :) ) (P.P.S. I am suddenly very aware of the amount of times I set things off with commas in my sentences. I, apparently, am obsessed with it.)


	5. Chapter 5

Sansa found a way into town every day that week, for reasons both real and fabricated, because she was hoping to catch a glimpse of Jon. She had to reassure herself that if this thing between them was going anywhere like she was hoping it would, that she wouldn’t regret the decision. It hadn’t been that long since she had left Petyr, but she liked to think she had grown slightly in judgment. Jon apparently didn’t need anything in town because she never saw him. If only she had done something smart and reasonable like ask him for his number before he drove off into the mountainy wilderness.

It was finally Thursday again and Sansa was relieved. She put extra care into her appearance, using more makeup than she had in months and plaiting her hair in an intricate braid. Her ensemble was completed with a white sweater dress and black tights. It may have been too much because Arya laughed when she saw Sansa checking out her reflection in her bedroom mirror.

“Is it bad?” Sansa asked, a defensive hand touching the end of her braid. She groaned and sank down onto her bed. “God, do I look like an idiot?”

“It’s not bad,” Arya tried to be reassuring but it didn’t exactly work. “You do kind of look like you’re dressing for a date and not a class. And I know you’re trying to hit it, but do you want everyone else to know?” Sansa threw a pillow at her sister but couldn’t keep herself from busting out laughing.

“You’re so gross!”

“Whatever, you want him.”

“What’s with your sudden change of heart? The last time we talked you were warning me about him?”

“Okay, well, as I see it I _am_ in a place where I can kick his ass if he tries anything. And you went into town every single day this week just to try and see him.”

“I did not!”

“We both know you didn’t run out of toothpaste. You didn’t need to go buy Bran new socks. And we don’t have a cat, so the cat food excuse was really lame. But the point is you like him. Clearly you like him. And if he turns out to be awful, I’ll kill him.” Sansa ended up taking most of the braids out of her hair and changing into a more casual outfit, one a little more effortless. Thanks to Arya’s reckless driving the sister arrived at class several minutes before it began and Jon was already up at the front of the room and he was getting things ready at his station.

“Hey,” she whispered, leaning against his table. Jon looked up and gave her a smile that would have melted the coldest heart. Upon seeing his face and his smile Sansa felt all her fears dissipate.

“Hey, stranger,” Jon was still smiling but continued getting everything set up for class. “I used you as inspiration when I was thinking about what we were cooking today.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yeah. But you’re going to have to wait to see what we’re doing. Class time is about to start, better make your way to your station.” Sansa joined her sister who was definitely giving her a look. “Alright everybody, I know our time together is coming to an end and I realized we hadn’t really tackled any desserts so I thought we’d give it a stab. Today, we’ll be making profiteroles. Because we don’t have a lot of time we’ll be filling them with ice cream instead of one of several other filling options, but we will be making our own chocolate sauce.” Jon walked them through the steps and it had Sansa wildly curious as to how she inspired this choice. Baking was definitely one of the more difficult things they’d attempted in the kitchen but Sansa really felt like she was in her element. The only speed bump she’d hit was the chocolate sauce. It hadn’t come out right and without the time to attempt to remake it, Sansa improvised and dusted her profiteroles with powdered sugar instead. They were delicious.

When all was said and done, Sansa was pleased with the product she produced. Unfortunately the level of complication involved in baking made certain that Jon was unable to spend much time with her, lest he ignore his other students. Class was over, most everyone had left or was leaving, and Sansa was all cleaned up by the time she had a chance to speak with Jon.

“I’m dying to know how I made you think of profiteroles.”

“They’re sweet, just like you.”

“Ugh. That was just gross,” Arya had been passing by and overheard Jon’s comment, Sansa just giggled.

“She’s right, you know. That was pretty bad.”

“Probably,” Jon admitted, “But I like hearing you laugh. It was worth it.” Sansa was laughing again. “Let me walk you out?” Sansa obliged and her heart raced when he placed his hand on the small of her back as they left the building.

“Oh! Before I forget,” she stopped them in the parking lot and pulled a pen from her bag, “Gimme your hand.” Jon stretched his hand out wordlessly and Sansa grabbed it and wrote her number down. “Text me or something, I can’t go into town every day hoping to see you. It’s cost me a fortune to Uber.”

“Did you really go every day just to try and see me?” Sansa blushed deeply.

“Well…I had errands I was running. But I did split them up individually because I don’t know your schedule.” Her admission had them both laughing again. This was radically different than she ever felt with Petyr, even in the beginning. She felt light and airy when she was around him. It all felt effortless.

“Sansa, come on!” Arya shouted from the other end of the parking lot, effectively popping their joyful bubble. “It’s freezing out here.”

“That’s my cue,” she sighed. “Don’t lose my number, okay?”

“You don’t have to worry about that. I don’t think I could wait another week to see you.” Jon kissed her gently and it was probably the powdered sugar that still dusted her lips, but he’d swear she was the sweetest thing he’d ever tasted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're back with our regularly scheduled fluff! So, I love cooking. That's why I wrote this fic tbh. When I'm writing, I sit down and watch Chopped or the Barefoot Contessa (Ina's my gal) and I think it helps me with some of my inspiration. It definitely makes me hungry. This chapter was a little shorter than my other ones have been but keep an eye out because I don't work tomorrow/today (timezones) so I'll probably put another one out. I just couldn't wait for this one. :) I also have a feeling this fic is going to go on forever because there's so much that I want to do but instead I keep writing chapters where nothing happens. I'm looking at myself like 'damn girl, move that plot along.' Anyways, profiteroles are my favorite dessert. I highly recommend them. I want to make the last class special, but I have no idea how yet so there may be a filler chapter. (Like these aren't all filler chapters) Thank you all so much for taking the time to read my story. You all keep me going and reading your comments honestly brings me so much joy.


	6. Chapter 6

“If you’re going to be disgusting, will you wait until I’m not around,” Arya complained as Sansa got in the car. Her sister had a scarf wrapped tightly around her neck.

“No one said you had to look.”

“You really didn’t leave me with much of a choice,” she grumbled, finally turning the car, and the heat, on. The car ride home was mostly silent, Arya occasionally grumbled about the song that was playing on the radio or having to see the two of them kiss right in front of her.

They had been home for a few hours and Sansa was just getting ready for bed when she heard her phone buzzing.

“Hello?” Her voice was slightly obscured by a yawn.

“Hey. It’s me. It’s Jon. I didn’t wake you up, did I?”

“No! No. I was just getting ready for bed. Not sleeping.”

“I know it’s late, and I’m sorry. I just…well, to be honest I was going to do the ‘cool guy’ thing and wait a few days to call you but I had a few glasses of wine and this seemed like a really good idea. I’m starting to think that was the wine talking.” Jon laughed. “But…Listen, Sansa. God, I sound like an idiot.”

“Just spit it out, Jon,” she laughed, imagining the way he would look if he were trying to find words in front of her.

“On Sundays, I go get breakfast with my dog and we go on a little hike on one of the trails in the mountains. It’s supposed to be cold, but it isn’t supposed to snow and it’ll probably be the last time we can go until the spring. I wondered if maybe you wanted to join us.”

“That sounds really nice. I’d love to.”

“Great. That’s great. I normally go pretty early but we can go a bit a later if you want.”

“Early doesn’t matter. Whenever you normally go is fine.”

“Okay. I’ll swing by your place to pick you up Sunday morning, around six?”

“That sounds great. I’ll see you then.”

“Get some sleep, Sansa. I’ll see you on Sunday.”

“Bye, Jon. Goodnight.”

* * *

 

The next few days had her restless. She was excited about her date with Jon, for certain, but she wasn’t really much of an outdoorsy type. Picnicking in the spring and summer was a little different that hiking up a mountain right on the cusp of winter. Sansa borrowed Arya’s hiking boots, they were a little big but she also borrowed a pair of woolen socks that made a difference.

Sunday morning rolled around and Sansa was excited but nervous about the actual hiking part. She also wore running leggings with a pair of fleece lined leggings over them, a black running shirt, green plaid flannel, and a black puffer vest. She read online that layers would be the most important thing to keep her warm and she thought she pulled it off while still looking cute enough for a date. At six on the dot, Sansa left the warmth of her home to foray into the wilderness. It didn’t take long for Jon’s truck to pull into the driveway and for him to lean across and open the passenger door.

“Sansa! Good morning. This is Ghost.” A beautiful white dog lifted his head from the floor of the passenger side and gave a great, deep bark. “That’s just him saying hello.”

“Morning, Jon. And good morning to you too, Ghost!” She stuck her hand out for him to sniff which he did sleepily before letting out another bark and laying his head back down. “Does that mean I’m clear to enter?” She asked with a laugh.

“Come on in!” She hoisted herself up to the seat, careful not to disturb Ghost, and buckled up. “Hope you’re hungry. We’ve got a normal little diner type place we go to where they aren’t afraid of him and the food is pretty good.”

“Do you find yourself staying away from restaurants because you know how to cook well, or does it not bother you?”

“I guess it all depends on what I’m eating,” Jon answered after a moment of contemplation. “If I go somewhere new I try not to eat something that I know how to cook, or at least not well. But if I know the person who’s doing the cooking, and I trust them, it doesn’t matter. I’ll eat whatever they put in front of me.” Sansa nodded.

“That makes sense. I’m guessing you know whoever owns the diner? Especially since you’ve been going there a while.”

“My best friend and his wife own it. It’s pretty small but they’ve got their regulars. I even worked there for a short period of time. It was nice but I like what I do now.” The car ride was uneventful as they drove to the mountains but at one point Ghost nudged her leg and then rested his head on her foot.

“What type of dog is he?” She asked, breaking the comfortable silence.

“He’s a Great Pyrenees. They’re smart and loyal, but loud,” he laughed and leaned over to scratch Ghost’s head since they were at a stoplight. “It’s a blessing I live in the middle of nowhere, otherwise I’m sure my neighbors would hate him.”

“Oh, how could anyone hate that sweet, sweet face?”

“Just wait until you’re trying to sleep one night and he hears a deer in the woods, you’ll hate him a little bit too.” They both laughed loudly until they woke Ghost up. As if he knew they were talking about him, his head perked up and barked again.

“It is a little loud,” she admitted, “But he’s cute enough for it to be forgiven.”

About ten minutes later they pulled into the small parking lot of the diner and Ghost must have recognized the area because he looked at the door and barked and then looked at Sansa expectantly. She opened the door for him and he jumped to the ground excitedly.

“He must love it here,” Sansa spoke as she also exited the truck.

“I think he just remembers how spoiled he gets here, Gilly always makes him his own plate.”

“Gilly?”

“That’s Sam’s wife. Sam is the owner.”

“And your best friend, right?”

“Right.” Jon walked her to the door, a small smile playing on his lips. Sansa was nervous. The place was small which wasn’t a problem but she was just worried about the intimacy level here. It was their first date after all, and it sort of felt like he was taking her to meet his family. She was thrilled at the prospect about learning more about Jon and just generally being with him but what if the people closest to him in his life didn’t like her? Her stomach was tied up in such bad knots that she didn’t know if she’d be able to eat anything.

“Jon!” A voice called from the back of the room when they entered. A fairly pregnant woman came up and threw her arms around him. “Sam, Jon’s here.”

“Gilly, this is Sansa,” she started to extend her hand for a handshake when Gilly pulled her in a tight embrace.

“It’s wonderful to meet you, Sansa.”

“Likewise,” she smiled. “It’s a beautiful place you have.” Sansa’s fears had quelled a little bit when she saw that despite the way it looked on the outside, it was definitely a restaurant. And it wasn’t insanely busy but there were definitely enough people to keep Gilly busy.

“Thank you, we love it. You can grab your regular table,” she handed Sansa a menu. “Jon’s been getting the same thing here since we opened.”

The food was good, not as good as the things that she’d tasted of Jon’s, but still very good. Jon told her about all the times he had come here and about the short period of time he’d worked in their kitchen. Sam had come out from the kitchen to chat with them for a few minutes and Gilly would come and pet Ghost every once in a while but other than that they left the pair alone. Sansa was starting to regret all the layers she wore and was just about to start peeling them off when Jon paid the bill.

“The trail actually isn’t too far from here,” Jon said as they were leaving. He went to the truck and grabbed his backpack. “Ghost and I have walked this trail hundreds of times so he goes off-leash. He may walk out in front of us but we’ll all end up in the same place.”

The sun was just starting to rise as they reached the trail head and now Sansa was grateful for her extra layers. There was a strong breeze that definitely added to chill in the air.

“Now might be an inopportune time to mention the fact that I am utterly inexperienced when it comes to the outdoors.”

“It’s a pretty easy hike. There’re a few areas where it gets a little rough, but I think you’ll be able to handle it. And if you can’t I can always carry you.” On the way up they talked about their respective childhoods. She learned that Jon was an only child to a single mother and that he loved her deeply. “She’s a great mom. Moved someplace that wasn’t so damn cold, as she put it, a few years back and I visit when I can and she comes and sees me when she can.”

It took them almost an hour to reach the place Jon designated as their stopping point. The trail went on further, he explained but he told her it was a much more rough terrain from this point out. Sansa looked to the view and it was spectacular. Where they stopped had a lookout and they could see the fully risen sun and all the trees. It was picturesque.

“Jon, this place is beautiful. Thank you for bringing me here.”

“I’m glad you like it. It’s one of the places I feel truly at peace.” Sansa heard Ghost’s loud bark from somewhere up ahead of them.

“Does he know we stopped?”

“He’ll figure it out in a few minutes.” Jon took off his backpack and sat down on a nice sized rock. “I’ve got water if you want some. And even if you don’t, you should probably drink it anyways.” She sank down next to him and gratefully took the bottle.

“This may be the best date I’ve ever gone on.” Jon laughed and reached out for her hand.

“Maybe it’s just the company,” he teased.

“You’ve got me there. Ghost is the finest companion a girl could ask for.” They both laughed and as if on cue Ghost came running back down the trail. “And I guess you’re not so bad.” Jon took a collapsible bowl from his bag and filled it with some water for Ghost. They rested for a while longer enjoying the nature before beginning the journey back down. It was definitely easier than on the way up but that also made the time go faster and before she was ready for it to be over they were walking through the parking lot and back to his truck.

All too soon they were back in the Stark family driveway. She gave Ghost a big hug and a few kisses on the face.

“We’ll see each other soon, boy.” He barked loudly and nuzzled her face. “I’m so glad you introduced me to him.”

“He likes you. Normally it takes him a little longer for him to warm up to someone but it’s like he’s known you forever.” That made Sansa smile and give Ghost a couple extra scratches behind the ear.

“I had a lot of fun today, Jon. Sam and Gilly are so nice and the diner was great and so was the hike. Thank you for taking me to one of your favorite places. Maybe next time I can take you to one of my favorite places?” She offered, wrapping her arms around his neck.

“I’d love that,” Jon murmured, putting his hands on her waist and pulling her closer to him. “I’d love to see what’s important to you.” He leaned in and gave her a kiss that she was sure would make her melt into the gravel. When they finally broke apart for air, Sansa rested her forehead on his.

“I’ll see you in class on Thursday, Jon.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized when I was almost at the end of this that Edward and Bella's first date in Twilight is a hike and now I'm deeply ashamed of this chapter but also I can't stop laughing. I was wondering where this idea nugget came from in my brain. Anyways, I hope you are all satisfied with their first date! I think it went really well. And I couldn't resist throwing in Ghost 'cuz I love that lil guy. As always thank you so much for reading, you guys are all incredible and are the reason this story became what it is.


	7. Chapter 7

Sansa was furious. She was also sick. So sick, in fact, that she could barely drag herself from her bed to the bathroom she shared with her sister to puke her guts out. The fury was due to the fact that it was Thursday afternoon and she was still weak, dehydrated, and crazy nauseous.

“It’ll be okay if you can’t go to class tonight,” Arya was sitting on the edge of Sansa’s bed, trying to be comforting while still keeping her distance. “I’m sure he won’t stop liking you.”

“That’s not what I’m worried about,” she groaned. “Unlike you, I actually like cooking. I’m learning a lot and enjoying it. And it’s our last class. I don’t want to miss it.”

“Well, you can’t go if you’re still sick. That’ll be real gross. For everyone.”

“My fever’s gone so just let me take a nap and then I’ll feel like myself again when I wake up and we can go.” Arya leaned in and patted her sister’s shoulder.

“Sure thing, sis.”

Sansa slept fitfully and woke with her mouth dry, her lips cracked, and with no idea how long she’d been sleeping. The sweat on her forehead had plastered her hair down and led her to believe that her fever came back with a vengeance while she slept. On her nightstand there was a glass of water and a note.

_‘Sansa, tried to wake you. You did not like it. Will tell Jon you’re sick. Drink the water.-Arya’_

She reached for her phone to find it was nearly nine thirty, meaning Arya should be home soon if she wasn’t already. As Sansa gulped down the glass of water she reminded herself to thank Arya, it definitely helped her to feel better. The next step was to get out of bed and go look for her sister, but as soon as Sansa sat up in her bed she got woozy which led her to believe that calling her sister on the phone would probably be a better idea. It rang several times before Arya picked up.

“Hey Sans, you good?”

“Yeah, except I feel like crap. How was class?”

“It was so fun! We learned how to make our own fresh pasta.” Sansa made a noise of jealousy. “I mean, it was awful. Totally boring, we didn’t do anything.”

“I appreciate you trying to spare my feelings, but I’m glad you had a good last class. Did Jon say anything about me?”

“He just asked where you were and I told him how sick you’ve been and then he told me to tell you that he hopes you start feeling better soon and he’s sorry you couldn’t make it to the last class.”

“What did he say, word for word?”

“Seven hells, Sansa. I don’t remember exactly what he said, but I guess next time I’ll write it down for you. I’m going to be home in a few minutes, do you feel like you’ll be able to keep anything down?” The idea of eating anything made Sansa’s stomach churn.

“Um, I don’t think that would be for the best. I’m still feeling a little queasy.”

“So go back to sleep. Hopefully it’s one of those forty-eight hour bugs and you’ll feel better in the morning.”

Sansa grumbled but said her goodnight’s to her sister and hung up the phone. Before she could talk herself out of it, she sent a text to Jon expressing her regret at missing the last class. It didn’t take her long to fall back asleep and sometime in the middle of the night, her fever broke.

* * *

 

When she woke up the next morning, Sansa was still feeling like she’d been run over by a truck but wasn’t nearly as nauseous and when she sat up she didn’t get woozy. The first thing she did was stumble to her bathroom and brush her teeth. Already she was feeling so much better than she had in the last few days.

Sansa went back to her room and felt her heart skip a beat when she saw a text message on her phone from Jon. He was asking her how she was feeling and wondering if he could stop by to see her. She swore she could feel her heart pound in her fingertips as she tapped out a response saying she was feeling much better and that yes, he could come over whenever he had a chance. She rushed back to the bathroom to take the fastest shower of her life.

The timing turned out to be perfect, as Sansa had just thrown on a pair of leggings and a robe when there was a knock at the door. For the first time in a while, she was thankful to be the only one in the house as she ran down the stairs to the front door. She opened the door to reveal a grinning Jon, his nose and cheeks red from the cold.

“Come in, get out of the cold Jon.” She stepped aside for him.

“I brought you soup,” he said as he entered the house. “Legally, I’m not allowed to make any claims of its healing nature but let’s just say that everyone who eats the soup is immediately cured of anything that ails them.” Sansa laughed and took the tupperware dish from his hands.

“I’m actually starving because I’ve puked up everything I’ve eaten in the last two days. Which is probably too much information, but it’s the truth. So I am more than grateful for the soup, would you like to have some with me?”

“I wish I could accept the offer, but I’m actually on my way to a catering job I’m doing with Sam in Mole’s Town. If I’m late, he’ll skin me alive.”

“Hmm, well I’m not sure I would like you as much without any skin so I guess you’d better go.” Jon laughed and pulled her into a hug.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better, Sansa.”

“I’d give you a kiss, but I don’t want to chance still being sick and giving you whatever I had. Thank you for the soup. Are you free tomorrow night?”

“Mmm, I think so. I can text you later, though, when I know for sure.”

“Perfect. If you’re free, I want to take you out like I promised.”

“Then I guess I’ll make myself free for you.” Jon pressed a kiss to her forehead before taking his leave. Sansa poured herself a cup of his soup, it was spectacular of course and she was certain it wasn’t just because it was the first thing she’d eaten in days. She sent him a picture of herself eating the soup with one of her thumbs up. A few hours later, he sent back a few smile emojis and a heart, along with a message saying he’d see her tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took a while to update. I had some rough things go on in my personal life the last few days and was just feeling really uninspired. Sorry if the quality is lacking, it just wanted to get something out for you guys. As always thank you so much for reading, you guys are why I do this. (Also I have no idea if people 'pour' themselves cups of soup but I couldn't think of any other verbs so pour it is.) (Also, also look at Jon using emojis. He's so hip.) (Also, also, also next chapter will be date #2 and Sansa's favorite place will be revealed. Don't get your hopes up, guys. It's not that cool.)


	8. Chapter 8

Saturday rolled around and by the grace of God, Sansa was still feeling better. She hadn’t tried to eat much more than the soup Jon made for her and some bread but she was definitely feeling good enough for the date. Sansa texted Jon in the morning telling him they were still on for the evening. He offered to pick her up and she obliged, it would be easier than trying to get Arya to drop her off and much less embarrassing than asking her mom or dad for a ride to her date. She also told him not to come to the door when he arrived, otherwise it would be a whole big thing with her family that she wanted to avoid at all costs.

Jon arrived at six-thirty on the dot and idled in the driveway as per Sansa’s instructions. Rickon and Bran were by the door and even Ned poked his head around a curtain to try and get a glimpse of him.

“I love you all but you are the most embarrassing people I have ever met!” She shouted as she left the house, pulling her jacket on. Jon waved at the people he could see and laughed to himself at the face Sansa was making.

“Hey, beautiful,” Jon leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “You look like you’re feeling a lot better.”

“I am, so much better. Thank you for your soup, I do believe it cured me. And they’re going to keep staring until we drive off.” Sansa made a shooing gesture towards the window. “This is why I didn’t want you to come to the door. If you would have we never would have made our date. They would have dragged you inside and interrogated you for the rest of the night.” They both laughed as Jon pulled out of the driveway. “They’re good people, they mean well. And the fact that I’m keeping you secret from them is making them want to meet you even more.”

“I’d like to meet them,” Sansa didn’t immediately say something so he kept talking. “One day. I get it if you think it’s too soon. It only is our second date. I get it. I just meant-“

“Jon, they would love to meet you. And I would love for you to meet them. I want tonight to be just us, though.” Sansa reached out and put her hand on his arm. “It’s a little selfish, but I want you all to myself for now.”

“I think I can live with that.”

Sansa had him stop the car in the middle of town, trying to keep the surprise up for as long as she possibly could. As they walked through the cold streets, Jon wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him.

“Okay, we’re getting close.”

“Shall I cover my eyes?”

“I’ll trust you not to peek if you just keep them closed. I’ll guide you.” It wasn’t much longer until she had taken him to the perfect spot for the reveal. She was sure he could hear the music and the laughter. “Okay, open your eyes.”

The outdoor skating rink was open almost all year long because of the cold weather in the region, but starting in mid-November the city strung lights up in the trees and on the weekends they started setting up food and drink stands trying to draw in more of a crowd. It’d been happening for years now and Sansa had wonderful childhood memories of going with her friends and family.

“It may be a little childish, but I love it here. My dad started taking us when we were little and he told us it’s where he took our mom on their first date. They’ve changed it since then, but it’s still magical to me.” Sansa was looking at the lights and her voice was filled with wonder. “If you don’t want to skate-“

“No! I used to come here too. It’s been forever but I went a few times.”

“I have to warn you, I’m a good skater.”

“You’ll have to help me.” They rented their skates and got onto the ice, he was unsteady but Sansa grabbed his hand. She gripped his hand tightly their first few rotations of the rink, but she grew restless and her grip on him started to loosen. “It’s okay, go show off.” Sansa held his hand more tightly.

“I’d rather stick around with you.”

“Really? It’s gotta be killing you that all these little kids keep rushing passed us. I think that one of them was even laughing at me.”

“If you point them out, I’ll trip them,” she offered with a mischievous grin.

“I’d hate to get you banned from your favorite place.”

“Good point. Well, you’ll just have to get very good in the next few minutes so we can shove it in their faces.” Sansa turned so she was facing him and grabbed his other hand so she was skating backwards now and kind of pulling him along. “Be my eyes, let me know if I’m going to bump into anything.”

Jon steered her true, they only bumped into the railing once or twice, and before long they were actually able to pick up some speed. Sansa laughed and clapped when he was able to go around twice without her help. He skated up to where she was standing in the middle of the ice and gripped her elbows.

“You did wonderfully, Jon. I’ll make a skater of you yet.”

“Well, I had a great teacher,” he leaned in and kissed her lightly. “I get what you were saying before. It does feel a little magical.” He kissed her again, this time with a little more fire, and if people hadn’t been looking at them before, they were now. They skated for a while more and kept their fingers intertwined except every once in a while when Sansa wanted to skate a little faster or do a spin.

“D’you want to get something to eat?” Jon asked, once he couldn’t ignore the rumbling in his stomach any longer.

“Yeah, I think I’ve worked up an appetite. If you’re done with skating, that’s fine too.” Jon laughed.

“I’ll admit my toes are starting to cramp. And I’m definitely using a muscle group that’s never been used before.” Sansa’s laughter joined Jon’s. They kept laughing as they returned their skates and went back to the main road.

“Wonderful, consider it payback, I was sore for days after our hike. Maybe on our next date we should just lay down on the couch.”

“Sounds very relaxing, I’ll cook for you and we can just watch movies or something.”

“Honestly, that sounds heavenly. What are you in the mood for now?”

“If my memory serves me correctly, isn’t there a pizza place somewhere around here?”

“I think you’re right,” Sansa grabbed his hand again. They wandered around and eventually found the place, much to her relief. The cold had started to seep in through her tights. The food was adequate, but they didn’t even notice as they were too wrapped up in their conversation. Jon told stories of his mom and culinary school. Sansa told stories about her siblings and she briefly touched on some of her life in the south during college, but didn’t go into too much detail.

“Hey, guys, sorry to interrupt your moment or whatever but we’re closed. You need to leave.” The bored-looking teenager who had taken their orders called out to them from behind the counter. Sansa hadn’t even realized they were the only people still in there. She went to the counter and put a few more dollars in the tip jar with an apologetic smile and didn’t speak until they were both out of the restaurant.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever been kicked out of a pizza parlor before. I don’t think that boy liked us much,” Sansa laughed.

“I think he’ll get over it.” Jon pulled Sansa in close to him again as they walked back to the car. “And I know I won’t be losing any sleep over what he thinks of us. I was having too good of a time with you.”

By the time they made it back to Jon’s truck, the temperature had dropped considerably and Jon had given Sansa his scarf to help with her shivering. He started the heat immediately but also grabbed her hands between his and rubbed them together to get some warmth back in her fingers. Pretty soon the cab of the truck was toasty warm and only then did Jon let go of her hands and start to drive home.

“I’m really glad you shared that with me.”

“I didn’t really share it, I mean, you’d been there before. You said so yourself.”

“True,” Jon was nodding. “But I got to see it through your eyes which was different. And you’re so beautiful out there.” The streetlamps showed Sansa that a faint blush had risen on Jon’s cheeks as he was speaking.

“Must be like the way I see you when you’re in the kitchen. In your element, when you’re in the zone. You’re not so bad yourself.” She stretched her hand out and tucked a loose curl behind his ear. Sansa had him stop the car right before the driveway so they could make out in the truck without any of her family members peering through the curtains.

“I feel like a teenager,” she giggled when they finally broke apart for air. “But I guess that’s what I get for being an adult still living with my family.” Jon pressed his forehead to hers, his hands still resting on the sides of her face.

“It has a certain appealing thrill to it, though. But you should probably get back before they think we’ve gotten into an accident or something.” Sansa nodded and pulled herself away from him with a sigh.

“Text me when you get home so I know you made it safely,” she said before leaving the warmth of the truck. Sansa was still red in the face and a little breathless when walked through the front door and much to her pleasure, and surprise, no one was waiting to interrogate her as soon as she shut the front door. She was ready for bed when Jon finally texted her that he had made it home safely and he’d attached a picture of him and Ghost for proof. That night she fell asleep with a trace of her smile still on her lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The student becomes the teacher! 1) I am obsessed with ice skating. 2) The Starks are overbearing and love each other so much. 3) I've got some exciting, at least in my opinion, ideas coming up. 4) I cannot believe I keep coming up with ideas, especially since it was supposed to just be a one-shot in the beginning. 6) I may or may not have listened to the Ice Princess soundtrack while writing this chapter. 7) As always thank you guys so much for reading. Your positive feedback is just incredible. I never expected more than five people to read my story, let alone like it. I am just astounded by you all. Thank you!


	9. Chapter 9

“Arya! Quit laughing at me.”

“I’m sorry! It’s just ridiculous. Like you get that right?” Sansa picked up a pillow and threw it at her sister and Arya, still laughing, dodged it. “I’m not being mean.”

“You said I looked like a poodle. I’m taking it personally.”

“You do! Kinda.” This time Arya had to dodge a mostly empty water bottle. She was standing in the doorway of the bathroom she and Sansa shared.

“You’re just jealous your hair won’t hold a curl.”

“I can promise you I have never once wanted my hair to look like this.” She reached over and pulled up a strand of her sister’s copper hair before Sansa swatted her hand away. Sansa had taken a lot of time curling her hair before her date with Jon and as much as she hated to admit it, Arya was probably right. She maybe did look just a little poodle-esque.

“It was still mean,” she grumbled, dragging a brush through the unfortunate poodle curls. “God, it’s really bad.” Instead of taming the curls, brushing them just made her hair a frizzy mess. There wasn’t enough time to take a shower now, Jon had texted saying he was on his way. Giving up, she tied her hair up in a bun and proclaimed it good enough. She chose a soft pair of black leggings and an oversized cream sweater for their stay-at-home date.

Fortunately, most of the family was at one of Rickon’s soccer practices so Jon wouldn’t have the same welcoming party as their last date. She hadn’t been quite ready when he’d shown up, and the heat was out in his truck, so he sat in the living room being with no less than five of her family members questioning him intensely. Jon was a good sport though and they only missed a few of the previews for the movie they were seeing. After he’d brought her home Ned made sure to tell her that he ‘liked that boy.’ As nice as that had been, Jon didn’t need to be quizzed every time he came over.

“Do I look okay?” Sansa asked as she left the bathroom.

“Yes. Whatever the opposite of a poodle looks like, that’s how you look.” Sansa was tempted to throw something else at her sister but then there was a knock on the door. She nearly skipped down the stairs and threw open the door with a bright smile on her face.

“Hey, stranger,” Jon wasn’t dressed for the cold, probably because he was only here to pick her up, and had his hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans.

“I won’t keep you out in the cold any longer,” she promised as she pulled her boots on. It hadn’t been more than a few days since they’d last seen each other but she still felt good seeing his face. Happy. Whole. “Anyways, I’ve gotta go see my best guy.” Jon took her hand as they walked out to the truck.

“I’m not your best guy? I’m wounded.”

“You’re definitely a close second but with Ghost around, there’s really no comparison.” Jon laughed heartily and the sound warmed Sansa’s belly. She was feeling better than she’d felt in years, at least since Petyr came into her life. Being around Jon was just easy.

Jon’s house was really more of a cabin partway up the mountain. He had a fairly sizeable fenced in yard, for Ghost to run around no doubt, and a small porch out front. It was small, it was cute, and it was Jon.

“I can see why you like living up here. It’s peaceful. Plus with all the snow you kind of look like you live in a snow globe.” Sansa could hear Ghost’s bark before Jon even turned the car off and she laughed to herself. “Ah, now I see why you have to live in seclusion.”

“Yeah, I love him but he barks loudly. And often.” Jon led her up the pathway to the house and helped her when they got to the stairs that tended to be icy. “So, I’ve got a little surprise for you. I know you were really disappointed about missing the last class so I thought I could give you a little one-on-one tutoring.”

“Ooh, you do know how to make a girl feel special,” Sansa remarked as he opened the front door. The interior was more modern than she’d expected from the outside, but somehow it worked. The floor plan was open and it made the house seem bigger than it really was. There was a small table that Jon had set up with flowers and the island in his kitchen looked like one of the workstations from the classroom. 

“Okay, class,” Jon clapped his hands together, just like he did whenever he started an actual class, and Sansa busted out laughing. Ghost chose that time to come running in the kitchen and she dropped to her knees and threw her arms around Ghost.

“I missed you!” In response he gave her face a lick.

“Ghost! Stop hogging my date.” The dog whined and went to his bed in the corner.

“You’re too mean to him. We’ve got all the time in the world.” She stood up, though, and went to wash her hands in the kitchen. “Okay, Chef. What are we making today?”

“I didn’t think of anything new,” he admitted somewhat sheepishly. “So we’re just going to be making pasta.” In the one-on-one environment, Jon found a lot more reason to touch her and get behind her to help her work the dough. Each time it made Sansa giggle.

“I’ve gotta hope you don’t treat all your students this way. I’ll be mighty jealous if you do.” Jon was behind her as she spoke, with one arm wrapped around her waist.

“No, you’re definitely special.”

“Jon, sweetie, as much as I love being close to you I actually am trying to learn a few things here.”

“That’s fair,” he laughed and backed away, but not before grabbing his wineglass from the counter. “I’ll have to instruct from a distance if I’m to keep my hands off of you.” In the end, Sansa was more than pleased with the result of hard work.

“Staying in was a good idea.” They were full of good food and good wine and were sitting on the sofa watching a movie. Sansa was sitting curled up to Jon and Ghost was curled up by their feet. “And I’m not going to lie, it’s nice to be able to cook dinner and watch a movie in peace.”

“I can imagine you don’t get much time to yourself.”

“Yeah, it’d be nice to shower for once without having to talk through door to someone.”

“It must’ve been nice, though, growing up with all of those siblings.”

“Yeah, I guess. No one rides you harder than family, though. It’s part of the reason I left. I love them desperately but I got kind of sick of them telling me what was best for me and what I needed to do.”

“So what brought you back, if you were trying to get away from them?”

“I, uh, lost myself I guess. And coming home seemed like the best way to get those pieces of myself back. If that makes any sense.”

“It does. But I guess I don’t really understand what you mean when you said that you lost yourself.” Sansa’s heart rate increased and her mouth started feeling dry, but she was pretty sure it wasn’t from the wine.

“I was in a relationship for a few years. It ended poorly. Well, the end wasn’t really the problem if I’m being honest. The end was the best thing that could have happened. It was the relationship that was the problem.” Sansa spoke hesitantly, trying to choose her words as carefully as possible.

“Sans…” Jon didn’t seem to know what else to say.

“You know the parable about the frog?” When Jon didn’t respond, Sansa continued. “It’s the one that says if you put a frog in a pot of boiling water it’ll jump out, but if you put a frog in a normal pot of water and slowly turn the heat up it can’t sense the danger and will end up being boiled to death?” Her voice cracked while speaking, but she willed herself not to cry. Jon’s arm tightened around her.

“You don’t have to say anything else. I’m sorry…I wouldn’t have-“

“No, I’m okay. Well… I’m better than I was. Honestly.” Jon pressed his lips to her head and strangely enough to Sansa, she really did feel okay. Telling people had never been part of her plan, Arya only knew because she was the only one who was brave enough to ask Sansa why she didn’t leave the house for almost three months, but she didn’t feel as ashamed as she thought she would have. It took some time for her to get back into the movie, but at the end she’d almost forgotten about her confession to Jon.

“I think we’ve got time for another movie, what do you think?” Jon asked as he stood, gathering their wineglasses from the coffee table.

“Most definitely, and more wine if you’ve got it.”

“You think I don’t have more wine?” Jon scoffed and returned with their glasses and a new bottle. They drained that and part of another before the next movie finished.

“I’m not so sure I should drive you home,” Jon admitted as the credits rolled, “And not just because I don’t want you to go.”

“I’m sleepy,” she murmured, snuggling closer to him. “Hand me my phone.” Jon stretched out to grab Sansa’s phone from the coffee table without jostling her too much. “You’re a doll,” Sansa said and she shot off a quick text.

“You don’t need to order an Uber. A ride out here and back to your place would probably cost a fortune anyways. You can stay here for the night, if you want.” Sansa beamed and turned her phone to face him so he could read the text she’d sent to her sister about staying over at Jon’s.

“As long as you don’t hog the covers, we’ll be fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there was a date that I added in the middle because I liked the idea of the Stark family asking Jon all sorts of questions and Ned telling Sansa that he liked Jon but I was so stuck writing it! So I cheated. :D Also, I sort of don't know how to keep this story going? Like I have ideas for other things to do but they're not really things that can happen without more time passing? And at a certain point I think I'll feel like I'm basically just repeating myself because there's only so much that can happen. I also am unsure of doing like time skip jumps? Because that feels cheap? So that's where I am! Which is kind of a not so great place to be but I swear, I'm working on it! I guess this is what happens when you make it up as you go along. Thanks for all your positive comments, guys. Y'all are the reason this story is still going. (P.S. I'm never letting the Uber thing go jsyk)


	10. Chapter 10

“I hope you don’t mind it being a little cold when you sleep. The heat doesn’t get to the back of the house as well.”

“I don’t mind, really, especially since I’ve got someone nice and warm to cuddle up with. Well, that is _if_ you let Ghost up on to the bed.” Jon laughed at her remark as he flipped the lights on. The room was nice, but it probably could have used an interior designer’s touch.

“I’m really digging the grey on grey action you’ve got going on here.”

“Hey, I’ve got a plaid blanket,” Jon couldn’t help but laugh, even as he was trying to defend his decorating skills.

“You’re right! I’m a fool.” He chuckled and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Can I borrow a shirt? I don’t want to get too hot.” Jon tossed her a plain white t-shirt from his dresser.

“There should also be a spare toothbrush in the medicine cabinet that you’re more than welcome to use. I need to take Ghost out really fast; you’ll be okay until I get back?”

“I’ll be just fine.” While Jon was gone Sansa changed, brushed her teeth, taken her hair out of the bun and yanked a comb she found through it, and had tidied up in the kitchen some. She was just getting settled in the bed when he came back in and she heard him shuffling around in the front room.

“I brought you some water,” he said as he finally came back into the bedroom. “Figured we drank enough to make it necessary, keep that dry mouth at bay.” Jon set a glass on the nightstand next to her before climbing into the bed. She immediately pressed herself against him, trying to borrow some of his body heat.

“Seven hells, Sansa, your toes are icicles.” He turned over and pulled her to his chest. They lay on the bed in silence for some time and Sansa was just starting to doze off when Jon spoke again.

“I care about you a lot, Sans. I love being with you and spending time with you,” he pulled his arm from around her waist so he could stroke her hair. “You make me so happy.” Sansa hummed contentedly and pressed her back against his chest.

“I’m right there with you, Jon. I wasn’t looking for anything, especially not so soon after… but you’re incredible.” Wrapped up in his arms, safe and tight, Sansa could almost watch herself falling in love with him.

The next morning when she woke to an empty bed, a part of her thought she had dreamt the amazing time she’d had last night. Sansa’s head pounded, though, which made her both grateful for the water that he’d left for her last night and certain that she didn’t dream any of it. Trying to maintain a little illusion still, she went to the bathroom to fix her hair and wipe the mascara off from under her eyes. She was just walking back into the bedroom when Jon came in from the other door with a tray in his hand and a bottle of orange juice tucked under his arm.

“Breakfast in bed? I am the luckiest girl,” Sansa climbed back in the bed and pulled the blanket around her.

“It’s not much,” Jon said as he set the tray down on the nightstand and the orange juice down next to it. “Hope you like French toast.”

Even though they’d spent the whole night together, it still felt like it was too soon for Jon to be pulling into the driveway to drop her at home.

“I had such a good time last night, and this morning,” Sansa kissed him gently.

“Me too, I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

Later that day, Sansa and Catelyn were in the kitchen planning the menu for Thanksgiving while Bran and Rickon played video games in the living room.

“Do we honestly need potatoes four different ways?” Sansa asked, rubbing her temples.

“Arya says she needs them mashed, Bran suddenly won’t eat mashed potatoes and only wants them roasted, Robb’s girlfriend says that it’s not Thanksgiving unless there are sweet potatoes, and I like potatoes au gratin and don’t care if anyone else wants them because I do.” Sansa really wished that people would have responded better to her idea of just going to a restaurant for Thanksgiving.

“If people need their own potato dishes that badly, why don’t they just make it themselves,” she grumbled, scratching down the ingredients she could think of off the top of her head.

“You need to be a gracious host, Sansa, no matter how ridiculous the request. Speaking of hosting,” Catelyn was rooting around the cabinets pulling out different table linens, “Who are you inviting this year?”

“I hadn’t thought about it, really. I don’t have many friends up here at all.”

“You don’t have to invite a friend.”

“Oh yeah, let me pop over to the mall and just find a stranger to spend Thanksgiving with us.”

“She wants you to invite Jon,” Bran said from the couch, not even turning away from the video game.

“Oh. I mean he’s got family and friends, I’m sure he’s doing something already.”

“Just invite him,” Catelyn urged. “If he’s not doing something, I hate the idea of him sitting in his house alone.”

“Okay, I will.” Sansa pulled her phone out and sent him a message asking him if he had plans for Thanksgiving and if not would he like to spend it with her and her family. She didn’t hear from him until a few hours later when he said that he didn’t have any plans and would love to join them.

* * *

 

“Tell me why we even celebrate this stupid holiday,” Sansa groaned at her sister from the kitchen Thursday morning. She’d been up late the last several nights doing as much prep work as possible. “And how did mom ever do this all by herself?”

“Because mom’s a mom. She’s got those weird mom superpowers. You’re the fool who said she’d done enough Thanksgiving cooking to last a lifetime and offered to do it yourself.”

“God,” Sansa groaned, “Is it too early to start drinking?” Arya threw open the fridge and pulled out a pitcher of their father’s famous apple cider sangria.

“I thought you’d never ask.” Arya helped where she could in the kitchen, but mostly she stood around trying to keep Sansa laughing. Around three in the afternoon, Catelyn came into the kitchen and offered to keep an eye on things so the girls could get ready for dinner.

“Why does mom insist on these fancy dinners? It’s mostly family, you all know what I look like. Why can’t I just wear sweatpants?” Arya grumbled as Sansa dug through her closet, trying to find the dress she’d been hoping to wear.

“If you wear sweatpants, mom’ll have an aneurysm. Or she’ll murder you.”

“Yeah,” Arya nodded, “But at least I’d die comfy.” Sansa finally found the dress she was looking for, a wine colored, sleeveless shift dress. She shooed her sister out of her room so she could get ready. Other than the impromptu interrogation, this would be the first time Jon was meeting her family and she just wanted to make sure it went perfectly. When she came down the stairs, Jon was already there talking with Robb and his girlfriend. She’d only ever seen him in chef whites or t-shirts and jackets, their dates were usually pretty casual, and he looked good.

“Sansa, Jon was so sweet. He brought dessert. What was it again?” Catelyn asked from the kitchen.

“Um, cranberry and pear tart. It’s not much, I just didn’t want to show up empty handed. Didn’t realize there’d be so many desserts.” Jon’s tart brought the dessert count up to six because everyone was so particular.

“I’m sure it’ll be delicious,” she gave him a little kiss, self-conscious about her family everywhere. “I think they’re watching the game in the basement if you want to join. I’ve got a few things to finish in the kitchen, but dinner will be ready in less than an hour.”

“If you need my skills, just holler.”

Sansa was only alone in the kitchen for a few minutes before Arya came rushing into the kitchen.

“Where’s the fire, Arya?”

“If I look like I’m in here helping you mom won’t make me help her and Talisa set the table. I’m really happy Robb is in love, but why did it have to be with her?” Sansa laughed at her sister and nodded in agreement.

“She’s kinda the worst. I mean we get it you deliver babies just stop talking about it.” Their father chose that moment to come into the kitchen.

“You’re being nice in here, right ladies?”

“Of course we are, dad. Sansa and I have never been mean in our lives.” Ned laughed and pulled two beers from the fridge. He set them on the counter and wrapped his arm around Sansa. Arya sensed this was a more private moment and excused herself quietly.

“It is so nice to have you home. I don’t say it enough. We missed you so much when you stopped coming home, but it is so good that you’re here.” He pulled her into a tight hug. “I love you, Sansa.” She pulled back and dabbed at her eyes.

“I love you too, dad. And I’m so glad to be home. I can’t really explain everything that brought me back here, but being home has really helped me out. I feel like me again.”

“And Jon?”

“He’s wonderful, a wonderful man. If I’m lucky, he’ll be in my life a long time.”

“If he’s lucky, he will be.” Ned hugged her tight again before releasing her completely. He took the beers and went back downstairs.

“So Jon, you’re the professional, how does the dinner rate?” Robb asked after everyone had eaten their fill.

“Well, it’s always nice not to be the one cooking,” he laughed, leaning back in his chair. “The food was all great, and I’m not just saying that because my girlfriend cooked it.” Everyone laughed but Sansa felt like her heart might explode from happiness. It was the first time he’d called her his girlfriend and it felt amazing, it felt right.

Later, after dessert and most all of the guests went home, she found a moment to pull Jon aside privately. Unfortunately, the only place they could get any privacy was the pantry. Fortunately, it was a walk-in.

“I’m glad you came tonight. You survived your first Stark family holiday.”

“Hopefully the first of many,” Jon said before pulling her into a kiss.

“You called me your girlfriend earlier,” she murmured once they broke apart.

“Yeah, I hope that was okay. I wasn’t trying to-“

“No, it was good. I liked it. Um, a lot.”

“Oh, good to know.”

“Hey,” Robb pounded on the pantry door, “Stop making out with each other and come out here. We’re watching a _Charlie Brown Thanksgiving_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I'm the one writing the story and even I was like "Oh shit, I hope that's Jon coming in the house and not a crazy serial killer in the middle of no where." Enough have told me that doing time skips will not make me seem like a hack, so I'll go for it and kind of see how it goes. I loved writing this chapter. I hate Thanksgiving, but getting families together and being happy? Hell yeah, that's my jam. I still have no idea where I'm going with this story, but I'm glad I'm on the journey with you guys. I love all your positivity and your comments. I love that people like my story. I never imagined there'd be more than like four of y'all reading. Thanks again.


	11. Chapter 11

“No, Jon. You should go.”

“I know I _should_ go but is it wrong that I’d rather stay here with you?”

“You should be with your mom. It’s Christmas.”

It was the week before Christmas and Sansa was at Jon’s house. Again. They were curled up on his sofa when he brought up the fact that his mom wanted him to come home for Christmas.

“You’re right. It would be the first time I’ve not gone to see her, but now I have a reason to stay.” Sansa smiled brightly at that and gave him a sweet kiss.

“As much as that warms my heart, I don’t want your mom to hate me before she’s even had the chance to meet me. I’d like her to make that choice on her own.” Jon laughed and wrapped his arm around her tighter.

“Fair enough, I do want her to love you.” Jon paused and looked like he was going to say something else before he relaxed his hold on her and stood up. “Hopefully somewhere will be able to board Ghost on such short notice. He doesn’t do well flying and my mom’s place is a little small for him.”

“Let me watch him. I won’t really be able to get up here, but we’ve got a lot of space at the house and a big yard. He can even join me on my morning runs. I love him, Jon, and I want to help out.”

“You sure Ned and Cat won’t mind?” It was still a little strange for her to hear him call her parents by their nicknames but she also loved how easily he’d integrated into the family.

“It’ll be fine.”

* * *

“That’s not a dog, that’s a horse. You said Ghost was a pretty big dog. This is something else entirely.” Jon had dropped Ghost off earlier that afternoon, before leaving to catch his flight, while everyone was out of the house. They only had a few minutes to say goodbye and Sansa already missed him. Catelyn came home to find the huge dog blocking the stairs.

“He’s really sweet.” Ghost barked loudly, as if in agreement. “Loud, but really sweet.” Her mom just rubbed her temples and nodded. He barked again.

“This is going to be the longest week of my life,” Catelyn muttered, stepping around the big dog to get up the stairs. Bran and Rickon ended up loving Ghost, as Sansa was sure they would, and now that they were out of school for the holidays they were always playing with him. Even Catelyn warmed up to him and he spent Christmas morning curled up around her feet. Their Christmas started with a bang when Robb proposed to his girlfriend over breakfast.

“I was going to wait until after dinner when all the lights would be lit and it looked like a fairytale. I’d even asked dad to help get you all out of the room so we could have some privacy,” Robb explained while Talisa was in the other room on the phone with her parents, “But I was too excited. I couldn’t wait to ask her to marry me. I couldn’t wait to start the rest of our lives together.” The rest of the day was boring in comparison but it was nice to spend time with the family. They watched Christmas movies and Bran and Rickon were playing with the toys they’d gotten earlier. Though she wished Jon could have spent the day with them, they were texting back and forth so they weren’t completely without each other.

The day after Christmas the girls, including Talisa, went shopping the sales. They ended up getting excited over wedding dresses and she asked Sansa and Arya to be bridesmaids. It was the first time they’d really spent together, without Robb at least, and Sansa found herself actually warming to her future sister-in-law. Spending time with Talisa wasn’t nearly as bad as she’d been thinking, in fact she seemed to fit in with the Starks quite well.  Later that night, Sansa and Arya were the only two still down in the living room watching some crime show that was Arya’s new obsession.

“Guess we have to deal with her forever, huh?” Sansa asked, thinking about the dresses they’d seen earlier.

“I guess. We can always hope he’ll come to his senses before the wedding.”

“She’s not that bad, when you really think about it. I mean she does save babies for a living. And if Robb is happy, does it really matter?” Arya groaned.

“I can’t believe you’ve gone soft! You being with Jon made you care about love again. I miss the shell of the person you used to be.” Sansa laughed at her sister and shoved her shoulder. They got settled back into the show when there was a knock at the front door. “Sansa don’t go open it, it’s like one in the morning. You’re definitely gonna get us murdered.” She stuck her tongue out at her sister as she walked to the door. Sansa peeked through the curtains and was confused about what she saw.

“I thought your flight home wasn’t until tomorrow morning,” she said, opening the door to a pink-cheeked Jon. He looked like he’d been out in the cold for a while. “Jon, you look like you’re freezing. Come in.” He obliged, rubbing his hands together for warmth.

“This will be quick, I swear. Sansa, you’re incredible.  I’ve never felt like this and I don’t want to scare you off or do anything that may jeopardize this but I love spending time with you. I want to be with you all the time. I think I’m falling in love with you.” Sansa stood there silently, still holding the door open with one hand. Apparently, she spent too long in stunned silence because Jon spoke again. “If you want me to just leave, I can show up tomorrow and we can pretend that I was never here.”

“I feel the same way, Jon,” her voice was soft and she took a step towards him. “I missed you so much this week when you were gone. You are such a good man. I feel safe with you. I’m falling in love with you too, Jon.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I rewrote this chapter so many times! I'm still not 100% satisfied with it but I like it and I wanted to get something out there. Christmas proposals are so cheesy but I think it's such a Robb thing to do, honestly. Thanks again for reading and commenting. You are all so lovely!


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